If you’ve been looking for a simple way to add a fun, wavy finish to your knit projects, the lettuce hem is the perfect technique to try! It’s quick, playful, and gives your garments a flouncy edge that looks great on sleeves, necklines, and hems. In this blog post we share some useful techniques on how to sew a lettuce hem with an overlocker (serger) and on a regular sewing machine.
For this tutorial, we’ll be sewing a lettuce hem on the Friday Bateau Top, one of our free/pay what you can patterns. It’s a simple tee that’s great for practicing sewing with knits and a lettuce hem makes the perfect finishing touch for an extra cute detail.
What You’ll Need
- Your Friday Bateau Top (grab the pattern here)
- Overlocker / serger: each machine is different and has different settings but we will be showing you this tutorial on a baby lock Acclaim.
- Good overlocker thread.
- Knit fabric for your project with at least 50% stretch.
What fabric is best for the Lettuce Hem:
This method os specifically for knit fabrics and works best on light weight knits like jersey or mesh. Any fabric that tends to roll slightly at the edges works well for this!
Overlocker Method Prep:
Set your machine up for a rolled hem (this may vary depending on your overlocker)
- Stitch length: short (around 1)
- Lower the differential feed if your machine has this option (around 0.7–0.8)
- Narrow the cutting width so the stitches wrap tightly around the edge
Tip: Use a good quality thread that will look nice visible on the edge of your garment, either match the fabric colour or go bold with a contrasting colour!
Place your hem edge under the presser foot. You’ll want the blade to just skim the edge of your fabric.
Sewing Methods:
As you stitch, stretch the fabric evenly. This is what creates the ruffled, wavy effect. The more you stretch, the more dramatic your lettuce edge will be.
Some overlocker machines also have a feature called differential feed and this simple setting is there to help you perfect your seam finish. In addition to correcting a stretched out seam in knit fabrics, this functional setting can also be used to create gathers or lettuce edge finishes. Once you understand the basics of how it works, it is easy to find ways to employ it when working on your next project. For a lettuce hem you can set your differential feed to the stretch setting as far as it can go.
Test some pieces of your fabric first, and see if the differential feed setting is enough, and also test pulling the fabric slightly to stretch it. This will determine the finish of the lettuce hem and then you can decide based on your personal preference what you would like. See below a couple of examples of lettuce hem amount!
Go slowly and keep your stretching consistent for an even finish.
Sewing Machine Method Prep:
Set up your sewing machine to a zigzag stitch:
- Stitch length to be narrow like a 0.5-0.7
- Stitch width to be slightly wider at 5 or 6
- Make sure you're using the correct needle for your fabric and good quality thread
Tip: make sure to test the stitches on scrap pieces of fabric first.
Place the fabric edge right side up under the presser foot as close to the needle as possible, you're wanting to stitch on the edge of the fabric hem so the zigzag slightly overlaps on the edge.
Sewing Method:
When stitching the lettuce hem method on your sewing machine, stretching the fabric is crucial to getting the desired effect. This may take a few practice goes so make sure to test this first.
Start with your needle in the fabric before starting the stitch, this allows you to stretch the fabric out without it pulling out from under your presser foot.
As you stretch the fabric you may notice the edge roll up slightly, this is fine and actually creates a very slight rolled edge effect. Some fabrics may roll more than others but aiming for no more than 1/8 inch roll is a good gauge to go by.
The more you stretch as you sew, the wavier the hemline will be.
Press (Optional):
This is optional and for both the overlocker and sewing machine methods. Once you’ve finished sewing, give your hem a gentle press with steam to help the ruffles relax and set in place. Don't sit your iron directly onto the hem, just hover it above and use the steam to set the lettuce and allows it to curl up more (like when shirring it is a similar process).
Where to Use a Lettuce Hem:
- Sleeves for a flared, girly finish! How cute would it look on a flute sleeve!?
- Bottom hems on a tee like the Friday Bateau to add movement and a cute detail.
- Necklines for a delicate frilly edge! A higher neck line with the method would be cute.
It’s a great alternative to a regular hem when you want to play with texture and add a little something extra to your garment.
Try it with the Bateau Top!
The Friday Bateau Top is a perfect pattern for experimenting with different finishing techniques. Grab your copy, fire up your overlocker, and give the lettuce hem a go. We can’t wait to see what you make!
💛 Don’t forget to share your version with us by tagging #FridayBateauTop and #FridayPatternCompany.
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